Falling in Love
by Kiko-tan
Summary: An undergrown detective, a bitter thief, and fallen leaves. Obsession grows into something more. KaiShin fluff with a side of stuff. 9: An uninvited guest breaks Kaito's usual composure. "See what I have to deal with?"
1. Fall Arrives

Kikonote: Happy firstdayof Fall, Everybody! Kiko here with my first entry into this amazing fandom. I originally planned this as a drabble series, but I got a little carried away, so you get chapters instead. Send in some reviews if you like it! *bows*  
Pairing: KaiShin (In that order? Maybe~ (yes))  
Rating: Will go up later on for some slightly smutty lemonade. There will be a note at the top, of course.  
Warnings: Violence, depression, yaoi (do I need this one?)

* * *

Growing was hard. Sometimes, Shinichi missed being six - he could veer around people's legs and escape their notice altogether. After three years, though, _nine_ year old Conan was more noticeable. Kogoro or Hattori would vouch for him, but as usual, he'd had to sneak away to come. Kogoro wasn't too interested in heists and Ran thought it was too dangerous for a nine year old.

No kidding, they were! Over time, the crowds had just grown larger. Shinichi was already worn out from getting past the crowd to sneak into the building - _damn his young body_. He rested his head against the cool glass of a window for a moment to ease his burning chest, and as he closed his eyes, a small smirk came to his face. The screaming, the lights... it was almost like a concert. No wonder that guy was so cocky.

Shinichi checked his watch. _9:45_. His eyes narrowed. He needed to hit the roof fast. Shinichi pushed himself to start up the stairs again, nearly losing his balance when he turned a sharp corner and his vision twisted with a tinge of temporary vertigo. He really needed to get Agasa to make him some mad-science water bottle. His body wasn't adjusted to his new height yet, and it was exhausting him.

The wind slammed against him, refreshing his body, yet drying his throat out all over again. Choking on his breath, Shinichi's feet pressed towards a figure in white, who had stopped upon hearing the door open.

"My, my. Up a little past our bedtime, aren't we, Tantei-kun?" He looked back with his trademark smirk as he held up a prized sapphire. As usual, nothing happened. He frowned and pocketed it for later, turning his full attention to the little boy who really did look like he needed a good night's sleep.

Shinichi clenched his fists at his sides. "Justice never sleeps."

KID chuckled. "Do you detectives have a handbook or do you come up with those lines all by yoursel- woah there!" KID sidestepped a small needle nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. His poker face never faltered, but he was a bit disappointed that he nearly _had_ been distracted enough not to dodge it. Luckily, his vision was impeccable, and the moonlight was a perfect companion. "The things they let kids play with these days! You're smarter than to play with such dangerous toys, aren't you?" KID scolded, wagging his finger. "All the other detectives bought that bathroom stunt."

Shinichi grinned, pacing around the white-clad thief. "Those people work for, or with the police. They're taught _never_ to take risks. But I know you better. That's why, one day..." Shinichi's smirk melted, replaced by an expression of fright. In keeping such a close eye on the thief, he hadn't noticed how quickly he'd gotten to the _edge_.

KID was only caught by surprise for the split second before he was able to react. He kicked his glider into gear and dove after the boy, his arm held out. He struggled to dive deeper, his muscles pulling and prickling with uncomfortable tension. It was made a little more difficult by the fact that his tantei _hadn't_ reached out for him yet. The detective didn't think he was too good to be saved by a thief, did he? The little-_ no_. Kaitou gritted his teeth. That wasn't it - those familiar pools of royal blue held a certain emptiness, a resigned quality. A doll-like quality. The wind thrashed him back without mercy. Losing the put-on smirk, the boy was only left with a blankness that snaked around Kaito's heart painfully. He was about to _scream_ at the little pessimist, but the boy's arm finally did extend and Kaito dove to reach it. Their fingertips nearly slipped past each other's, but Kaitou's firm grip pulled the boy up. He wrapped his right arm around the boy as tightly as he could and kept them in the air with his left. "Tantei-kun, we have to stop meeting like this." The boy thrashed a foot out to kick. Kaito ignored the super-powered slam to his side, his grip around the detective tightening all the more.

Shinichi had yet to fully regain himself. He wanted to find a way to trick KID into the police's clutch, and at the same time, he didn't care - about anything. He'd almost been totally OK with disappearing due to a simple mistake. An unusual sensation pricked at his eyes. He hadn't even thought about it; it was just his instinctual reaction. What was wrong with him?

Blinking away with discomforting wetness, Shinichi looked up at the thief. His neck, his chin... nothing made him particularly distinguishable. How was it that even at such close contact, he was no closer to finding out who KID was?

The two were not alone in the blindingly black sky. Shinichi's heart stopped. His world shook out of place, a transformation-like vertigo slamming his head when the sound of a bullet tore through the night. It was unmistakable; he knew how to tell what was a firework and what was a gun. He heard the thief mutter _shit_ under his breath, and tightened his arm around Shinichi so that he could barely breath. As KID dropped them off behind a building, Shinichi had a startling revelation that that bullet was aimed at _them_. He wondered if the police were taking on new tactics, but that couldn't have been it because they would never have done that with a child around. That meant something more sinister.

KID had gotten himself caught up with baddies before, sure; people had used KID heists to pull off crimes while the police were busy, sure; people had attacked others at KID heists just to try and take some of the attention, sure; but there was a certain _wrongness_ in that shock. He knew something was up. The average criminal didn't exactly carry a sniper rifle around, now did they? Shinichi looked up at the thief, wide-eyed, as his feet tried to understand that they had footing.

The thief kept his distance, looking down on the boy all the same. "Tantei-kun." KID didn't bother trying to muster up his usual mirth. He knew he couldn't say what he wanted. He _wanted_ to scold the kid for being reckless. Wanted to grill him. Maybe steal him away until he fessed up. He couldn't do any of that, and he hated it. "Take care of yourself." He turned the corner with his cape billowing behind him, and was gone before Shinichi could try anything else.

Shinichi took a deep breath - a real breath reaching into his lungs. Seeing the thief looking so serious was jarring to say the least... Even when it was completely called for. Shinichi shivered as a slight chill ran up him, the shock yet to fully wear off. How close was that to being a dead hit? Shinichi shook off the unwanted panic and began stalking off to the agency. That guy was so... _Take care of yourself._ What did that mean? Wasn't KID the one who needed to watch out? As usual, Shinichi walked home with his thoughts completely devoured by the enigma that was Kaitou KID.


	2. A Mutual Obsession

Kikonote: Pleasantly shocked at all the interest! I think this should run 25-30 chapters or so, so yes, I will definitely be continuing it (for a long while).

* * *

Kaito leaned forward onto his hand, his eyes slipping closed as he rested against the desk. It wasn't that he wasn't a morning person, he just got bored waiting for the shop to open. He'd opted out of continued schooling in favor of a part time job. He wanted his time to be flexible so that he could put his all into finding Pandora and taking down those murderers. Plus, who needed a degree to do magic? Especially someone as talented as him? And with a charisma that could win any interviewer over? No, he wasn't too worried about all that.

His concerns were instead focused on a certain little Tantei-kun. Kaito tended to get attached to usual figures in his life anyway - he would even go out of his way for Hakuba, if it came to that - but Tantei-kun was special. Other than the fact that his brainpower ran circles around any of those other chumps, Tantei-kun was a literal impossibility. Kaito had no inclination to start detective work, but he had a healthy sense of curiosity in him, and Tantei-kun piqued his like no other. It was rather shallow when he thought about it, and at first he'd decided he didn't care...

But he _did_. That kid lingered in his mind like a scorned spirit. Over time, it had only gotten worse until it had hit the point where, to his horror, he'd started to _idolize_ the guy in a way. Kaito had a very detailed record of the life of Shinichi Kudo, as such that Kaito felt like he knew him. Sure, some psychoanalyst type might consider it escapism, since he always had to be on his guard around his own friends. He didn't need labels like that, though, to admit he was interested in someone he just _knew_ could have been his best friend in different circumstances. Sure, Shinichi may not have approved, but Kaito was a master at getting his way.

Friends though they weren't they had some similar interests. At least, they'd _had_. It bothered him that Tantei-kun wasn't really into his heists anymore. Heists were the only time Kaito got Tantei-kun to himself, even if for just a moment. Heists were the only time Kaito got to see Tantei-kun's maddening smirk and determined sharp eyes. It was like playing tag, only with thousands of screaming fans beneath them. But if Tantei-kun wasn't having fun anymore, neither was he.

Maybe Tantei-kun was lonely. There were definitely others who knew who he was, but from what Kaito had seen, the Mouris definitely didn't know, so Tantei-kun had to put on his kid act most of the time. Kaito liked it; whether or not Tantei-kun knew it, he had been _adorable_ as a kid. He assumed Tantei-kun wasn't happy about it, though, just as he'd always hated having to think up lies or excuses when what he really wanted to talk about was his real self. Not that he saw them too much anymore. Hakuba and Aoko had a long-distance relationship and were doing their own things, Akako visited the store to pester him sometimes. It just wasn't the same as having honest-to-goodness friends. Would it have been sad for him to say that his best friends were his mom, his doves, and a detective who wanted nothing more than to arrest him?

And that the last one didn't even know who he was? It got depressing to think about. Kaito had no shame about his sneaky creeper tendencies. It was the fact that the object of his obsession was nine. Was he such a predator if he was interested in a nine year old, when he knew Conan was really nineteen? He told himself he wasn't; he just wouldn't try to explain that to anyone else. Not like anyone listened to him anyway.

"Kaito!" someone growled behind them.

Kaito broke free of his thinkdreaming to turn around with an innocent face. "Yamamoto-san?" The man, and Kaito's boss, was red with anger.

"Get this thing off me!" Yamamoto bellowed. "And get rid of these _monsters_! They'll destroy the merchandise!"

Kaito smiled down at the little kitty whose claws were digging into his boss' leg. "Wow, Yamamoto-san, you really don't like cats. Awww... Come on little guy." Kaito gave the cat a scratch behind the ears. He walked across the store, whose floor was currently a field of grass. There were cats everywhere. They followed Kaito's tail as he moved to the door. When he switched it open, they walked right out.

"See? They aren't so much trouble." With another snap of the fingers, the convenience store floor was back.

Yamamoto grumbled, turned around, and went straight into the back.

* * *

Shinichi sat crouched in the corner of Ran's room. He was using it on the basis that he minimize his presence in the room so Ran could use it whenever she came home from school. Shinichi only kept the essentials - in particular, the things he didn't want Kogoro finding in their room. This included his journal. It wasn't where he shared his innermost thoughts and feelings (those were quite locked away). It was something that his mom would be _too proud_ over if she ever saw.

Shinichi didn't take himself for a writer, but for some reason, he'd taken to writing his every encounter with Kaitou KID in story form. In the back was a profile on KID with what information Shinichi knew as well as speculation. It wasn't so strange, he supposed, to keep a record of a criminal one was trying to capture. The problem was that capture wasn't quite Shinichi's top priority. Above all, Shinichi was a mystery nut, and Kaitou KID was an unsolved mystery.

For the first time, Shinichi had wondered if some criminals deserved worse than others. Never had he thought it worth discerning, but things changed when he compared the theatric heist shows to Black Organization crimes, or even crimes he saw on a near-daily basis. Despite turning the idea over in his head countless times, Shinichi hadn't come to a conclusion. Instead, he'd just gotten frustrated at being affected by KID's charms, because there really was no evidence that Kaito was better than anyone else. There was nothing to prove he _didn't_ selfishly want to screw with authorities, or that he wasn't acting purely in self-interest, or that he would continue to always return what he stole.

KID was looking for something. Shinichi had heard him say things like _"This isn't it"_ or "_Wrong one again_." That meant that one day, KID wasn't going to give the jewel back. Worth didn't seem to be the motivating factor. Unfortunately, Shinichi had no other leads on this matter.

Except that shot. It kept replaying in his mind in the silence, nagging at his mind. He needed to figure out who they were - these were _snipers_ they were dealing with. But who? Why? Why KID? He sloppily scrawled notes about it in the back of the journal. The next step was to find out if it was a pattern.

Shinichi started when the alarm on his watch went off. He sighed, pushing his hair back, and shoved his journal back into the hidden compartment in Ran's bed - Kogoro didn't need to know about that little alteration he'd made. With Ran gone, Shinichi had taken on some of the brunt of Kogoro's inability to take care of himself. Kogoro tried to be nice about it compared to usual - he probably just felt bad about taking advantage of a nine-year-old, especially after that crack Eri had made.

When Shinichi got to the kitchen, Kogoro's feet were on the table. Kogoro lowered his newspaper and glanced at the boy. "So you are home."

Shinichi nodded and stuck his head in the fridge to get food ready. He'd been ignoring his own stomach for a good part of the afternoon. It was easy to get caught up in his messy little journal though, because after all, mysteries were his weakness.


	3. Suspect Characters

It was the second Wednesday of the month, which meant Kaito's day off and a his day to go people-watching. He was posing as an Australian tourist - tiny denim shorts, a lime green crop-top, sneakers, and an ashy brown ponytail waving behind him. Plus a camera around his neck for good measure. His destination: a certain conveniently located tree in Beika. Oh yeah, he was going full-on creeper, since it was for the sake of his favorite pint-sized detective boy. He wasn't going to do anything malicious, just spy on him, maybe tinker around with the boy's life a bit if it was necessary. Maybe he would even get to dress as Shinichi! He probably wouldn't; he just loved seeing that look on the kid's face when Shinichi popped up and Tantei-kun was the only one who knew who he was, and couldn't do anything about it.

Kaito caught his dark chuckle and forced it short. "Hm..." He rested a finger on his chin. "Which way now?" he said in slightly mangled English. He needed to make sure he had his voice straight before getting to the more populated areas of Beika, like beyond the side street he was currently walking down. Even if he was just going to spy, it always paid to be careful.

Being Kaito, he never took the easy way. When he spotted the tree he planned to perch in, he merely eyed it for a moment before passing it. A few turns later, he was climbing up the backside of a noodle restaurant. He really needed to stop dressing as women, because those clothes weren't enough to protect him (or his disguise, for that matter) from damage from things like uncut branches or an accidental slam against bricks. He got to the rooftop unscathed anyway, as could be expected, and shook out his ponytail. He edged over to make his hop to the next building when a certain familiar feeling washed over him - not the good type, but the ominous type. Frowning, he pressed his binoculars to his eyes.

Ah yes, there was the problem: _there was already someone in his tree_.

_Shit_. He needed a new way around. From where he was, whoever it was could easily spot him. Kaito threw a rope down to find a new course.

Ten minutes of sneaking around prying eyes later, Kaito focused his lenses in on the man in his spot. The man's face was mostly concealed by his hat. He was wearing a dark trench coat and holding something. Kaito inched slowly towards a new branch to get a better angle on the guy. After making sure he was steady, he zoomed in on a newspaper clipping. Well _that_ didn't seem suspicious or anything. He couldn't see what was on the clipping, but the fact that the suspicious man was looking straight at the street in front of the agency gave Kaito a pretty good idea of what he was doing. Little Conan Edogawa had made a name for himself all over again and he had been in the papers quite a bit for it. Conan always tried to play it modest, but the media _loved_ taking advantage of cute children to get readers. Plus, Conan furthered the media sensation that was Sleeping Kogoro.

That settled it: Kaito's new plan was to make sure this creep (no hypocrisy intended) didn't hurt his innocent little Tantei-kun.

"Conan-kun! Guess what?" Ayumi said, grinning.

"Hm?" Shinichi hummed in disinterest.

"The new volume of Yaiba comes out today!"

"Oh, really." Shinichi didn't even look at her. In all honesty, he just wanted to go home.

Genta and Mitsuhiko were excited, though. The boys and Ayumi cheered _Yaiba_ behind him.

Haibara walked behind. _I guess they didn't want to tell me, huh..._ Then again, unlike Shinichi, she'd never pretended to like children's series for the sake of looking childish. A ghost of a smile played at her lips. _Your own fault, Kudo-kun_. She understood how that would become a habit, though, when Ran was bending down, staring at you with her innocent big blue eyes, trying to make what she thought was a little kid happy. Haibara liked Ran, but she didn't pity Shinichi.

Genta patted Shinichi's shoulder, decided he knew why Shinichi wasn't excited. "I know you don't get a lot of allowance, so I'll let you borrow mine." This was accompanied by a thumb pointed at himself and a gentle tone of voice to accentuate how generous he was being.

_Oh yay_, Shinichi thought as he mustered a smile. "Okay. Thanks." He hadn't even read it last time. He used to read bits of it so he knew what they were talking about the next day, but he had long gotten sick of children's stuff. He'd just feign a bad memory. The kids thought he was out of it because of Ran going to college anyway. He didn't agree. It was half-true at most. He was just tired. Her being gone had only helped accelerate the inevitable exhaustion for his situation. Other than that, he wasn't too bitter about it. Was he supposed to try to hold her back instead? He wasn't that selfish.

Shinichi forced his mind to stop and heaved a sigh. He'd gotten caught up going on about Ran _again_. It wasn't as though he had to explain it to anyone - least of all himself.

The sigh didn't escape the notice of the Shounen Tantei. "Ah, and then, we should get ice cream!" Mitsuhiko suggested hastily. The others cheered in agreement, hoping for Conan to do the same.

When they were close to the agency, a familiar sensation washed over Shinichi. It wasn't the comfortable kind of familiarity: it was the dark, cold tendrils of an unknown watcher grasping his heart. Shinichi was the logical sort, but he knew better than to write off such feelings as paranoia. He had to get away from the kids... only, what if they would still be targets?

"Kudo-kun, you feel it too?" he heard whispered next to his ear.

He nodded, giving Haibara a pointed look.

Haibara sighed, crossing her arms in discomfort. "It don't seem like them, but I can't say for sure."

"What are you talking about?" Ayumi asked, butting in between the two - in jealousy, no doubt. Genta and Mitsuhiko were already engaged in another conversation.

Shinichi shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing, I was just mentioning a book I wanted to read. Maybe they'll have it at the bookstore!"

Ayumi bought it easily; Shinichi was known to be a book geek. "Oh. You can read real grown-up stuff, huh? I wish I could read as good as Conan-kun," she said shyly.

Shinichi felt like he had just made this worse for himself. "Ah, it's not that big a deal. I learned a lot from my family, so..." Making excuses was pointless, though, since the Shounen Tantei accepted him for a genius and didn't come up with any silly ideas like him actually being ten years older than them. It was funny how the kids came up with more logical conclusions than people his age, who actually had figured him out.

He reminded himself to stay sharp while they crossed the agency. The big question was whether or not they were going to be followed. He couldn't let whoever was there know that he'd noticed anything out of the ordinary, though, so he used Haibara and the Shounen Tantei as a cover while inwardly figuring out all the ways he could apprehend this guy depending on where he attacked from.

The moment the children came up, Kaito knew he had hit his mark. The man in black seemed to check the clipping out again before shoving it in his pocket. The children passed the agency and immediately, the man jumped to action. Kaito waited until the suspicious man was on the ground to leave his own hiding spot. It was time to play a game of cat and mouse. Kaito decided on taking the high ground to keep an eye on Tantei-kun as well as his pursuer. This meant some extra sneaking to ensure passers-by didn't catch sight of him, but that was no problem for him.

Tantei-kun happened to be in amazing luck, because it just so happened he'd swung by at exactly the right time. He wasn't going to let _anything_ happen to the little detective on his watch. Maybe Kogoro would learn to discourage the press from printing stories about Conan, too. Kaito was positive Tantei-kun didn't need any more attention drawn to him than he already got.

A few blocks away, the Shounen Tantei were heading into a bookstore. Shinichi lagged behind, standing before the entrance and letting his eyes sweep over his surroundings. A grin tugged at Kaito's lips. So he _had_ noticed. That was Tantei-kun for you.

"Oh no!" Shinichi said suddenly. "I forgot I have to pick something up for oji-san before I go home. We'll meet back here to walk home, okay?"

Ayumi's head popped out of the door while Genta and Mitsuhiko paused for a moment to agree. Haibara said she was going with him, not bothering to explain why. Since she hadn't shown any interest in the books, the Shounen Tantei weren't too suspicious, although Ayumi had a distinct air of jealousy.

Kaito had his eyes set on the guy in black, who was now situated in the alley a few buildings away from the bookstore. The moment that man made his move... Kaito watched with narrowed eyes as Shinichi and Haibara started walking. As the kids neared, Kaito climbed down silently, positioning himself to jump off of a windowsill to tackle the guy.

Shinichi froze when he heard a gun click to his right. He turned his head with wide eyes and stumbled back when a brown-haired girl fell on the man's back? Before Shinichi could try to help, the girl had managed to knock the man out and rope his wrists and ankles behind his back.

The girl seemed to just remember he was there. "Oh, boy! Are you OK?" she said in her accented English.

Shinichi, too, remembered his place. "That was scary! Thank you, nee-chan!" he responded in Japanese.

Kaito reminded himself to stay on guard around that kid. He jumped over to where the girl was - a normal person would dote on the girl more, right? "Hey there, cutie-pie!" he cooed in purposely horrible-sounding Japanese.

Haibara frowned dramatically, as though the shock of nearly being attacked had just hit her. "Th-thank you, nee-chan!" she said with a watery sounding voice.

After patting the girl's head, Kaito bent down to the girl's level, waving a finger in the girl's face with an apologetic, but firm expression. "You have to be more careful about places like this! Your precious little boyfriend can't always protect you." He failed to notice the frown deepen. "You're so cute and little and adorable and defenseless that bad men will want to eat you up! You have to call the police next time you notice someone suspi- ah." Kaito's face warped in horror when he realized that indeed, his own face was exposed.

Haibara twirled that particular piece of the disguise in her hand, an innocent smile coming to her face, with a mischievous smirk laying beneath it. "Eeeeeh? So this is what the Kaitou KID looks like?"


	4. Dubious Motives

Kikonote: I won over the writer's block! Whoo!  
I have way too much of this story written to stop updating it, so there's that.  
Enjoy! Love reading comments!

* * *

There was something unnerving about seeing his own decidedly male face right in front of him, only with short shorts and breasts. From KID's expression, he seemed to feel the same way - which meant that he might not have been wearing a Shinichi disguise and perhaps did just look like that. Well _that _was a misunderstanding waiting to happen.

KID squealed and covered his chest. "Children are such monsters!" In a cloud of fairy dust, the girl clothes were gone and in their place, a nice familiar suit modeled after some news screencaps. Kaito always carried his Shinichi wig with him when he went near Beika, just in case he didn't have the time to do his hair.

Shinichi and Ai watched the change with disinterest, neither of them particularly surprised when the missing detective appeared. Shinichi wondered about the physics of hiding all of that in a tiny tank top, shorts, and a camera bag. Ai was displeased that Shinichi had dragged this idiot home with him, who might possibly endanger them by posing as a "dead" man.

Ai pointed at the thief, her irritated expression betraying a maturity beyond that of a nine year old's. "You, get out of that disguise. If you're as shameless as you make yourself out to be, you should know better." Shinichi had already admitted that the thief knew what was up after saying a few dozen suspicious things. Turning to her side where Shinichi stood, she dropped her hand. "Edogawa -kun," she said, an admonishing tone underlying her calm voice, "I am going back to the bookstore. We will be there around, I would say, forty minutes. Have these two sorted out by then." With nothing left to say, she turned her back and stalked off.

Kaito pouted like a child who'd had his toy taken away. "_Fiiiine._"

Shinichi frowned at the retreating figure_. Why do I feel like she's blaming me?_ When Shinichi returned his attention to their strange visitor, a police officer (whom he suspected to be one of the KID team recruits; just a hunch) was examining the still-unconscious man.

KID started talking without being asked. "His name is Touru Akihiko. He's thirty-seven years old. Married. No children. He's a children's psychologist, of all things," KID explained with a wry grin. "He was trying to kidnap you for ransom."

It wasn't bad. No, KID could probably pass as him pretty easily. While Shinichi had already known he could, it was kind of... vexing. He didn't even own his own identity anymore. "How did you figure all that?"

Kaito flashed a sheepish grin. "I found these in his pockets." He held up his hands, one unfolding a wallet with all the pertinent information and the other a ransom note requesting 200,000 yen in return for _the boy_.

_Ahaha... Meitantei KID isn't that impressive. _

The two straightened up on the spot, their eyes wide as a rush of sirens drew near. Shinichi didn't even have time to question why KID was in Beika.

By the time the police approached, the phony officer was taking notes from a little boy who was trying very, very hard to act scared.

Kaito laughed inwardly, overflowing with sadistic joy at being able to manipulate Tantei-kun's acting skills.

Shinichi took every piece of bait KID laid out for him, because it was the only way to seem like a real child. As much as he hated KID at that moment, he was annoyed at the real source the most.

_Ha-i-ba-ra!_

When the culprit was in the car and the officers turned to ask the original officer more about it, the phony cop was gone and Shinichi was holding the report. He jumped at the realization that he was somehow holding it and about three feet from where he last remembered being. The officers tripped all over themselves to apologize to the scared little boy they'd just terrorized. Shinichi just frowned and hoped they were ready to wrap up the case.

_"Departures are still delayed until further notice. Please be patient while we work to ensure quality service. We apologize for any inconvenience."_

Kaito rolled his eyes while the crowd continued to complain around him. His fault for taking the train. He should have known the Osaka train scandals would spread to Tokyo somehow. Without the cover of night, however, his glider was more easily seen, and easily guessed to be him. Soon, it would be dark and it wouldn't even matter. If it got to that point, he would just sneak past security.

As well as being kept from leaving the area, they were also locked into the station. Because when some maniac makes threats, the best thing to do is obviously to potentially expose civilians to those threats.

He had a good forty minutes to kill until it was time to sneak out. His original idea was to plunk down on a bench and think about what he could have done differently that day - just small things to make everything more interesting - perhaps ideas for their next meeting. Kaito was easily distracted, though. Especially distracted by the plight of frightened young women and children.

T'was such a shame. He was just left with no choice. He had to make a spectacle.

Within the snap of his fingers, and the glitter bombs twenty feet in the air, he was wearing an oversized black top hat and waving a cane around. "No need to despair, folks! All we need to get the trains running is a little magic! Now, who would like to be my first assistant?"

Despite many in the crowd staring at him like he was an idiot, the teenager with the strange outburst began attracting quite an audience.

"Oh, lovely!" Kaito crooned, taking the hand of a fine young miss in an evening dress. "Now, pick a card; any card."

The young women was caught between trying to figure out the trick and just doing it. It had been such a long, stressful, and strange night, she just went along with it. She tentatively reached for the middle card and swiped it away as quickly as she could.

Kaito caught the card in his hat. "Now roll these dice. Right into the magic hat."

"Finally, a coin."

Kaito looked at the audience. "Heads or tails?"

The words were difficult to pick out, but he went with heads regardless. People liked it better, thought they were getting more out of it. "It looks like it's heads!" he cried, and flipped the hat up in the air. When the hat hit its peak height, playing cards poured down until a still image of a rabbit's head with oversized snake eyes and coins for its mouth sat against an invisible barrier.

For a moment, the station was silent. Those who hadn't originally joined the crowd had turned back to see what was going on. The skeptics were left wondering how this trick they had never before seen worked. The children's worries were distracted with that moment of awe that washes over them before they start cheering.

And then the cards fell, dropping into four even stacks on the ground. The dice landed in Kaito's hand while the coin landed in his assistant's. "Lovely working with you," he said, and bowed before the woman before stalking up to one of the girls in the audience. Smirking, Kaito knelt down next to a little girl whose mouth was wide open. "Of course, my real assistant is my adoring audience." He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and when he took his hand away, he was holding a white rose.

The one and only child not under the magician's strong enchantment stood against a pole in the distance, watching the show from more of a side-glance than a full stare. He'd gotten himself into quite a silly situation. Reasoning that there was no way the elusive thief would use a simple train station, reasoning that even if he did he would be in such disguise that he could never be so easily recognized, Shinichi's feet had carried him along in a morbid curiosity he regretted because he was so wrong and that guy wasn't even trying to hide. And sure, he'd wanted to go see the new museum in that place three hours away he'd gotten a ticket to for a while, but there was obviously no coincidence, if that certain person happened to notice him. And just as he'd thought he should leave, the place had been shut down.

He'd already figured out all about the threatened plan, of course, and had already planted the seeds of information in the investigating officers' minds. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes before everything was sorted out - it was just a convoluted plan of a jilted ex-lover's revenge and nothing so widespread, after all. But that guy... Shinichi hadn't believed that Kaitou KID saved him from being kidnapped out of nowhere, was at least disguising as him if he didn't look like that, and was so carelessly trotting around a protector of the law. But there he was, carelessly trotting around numerous protectors of the law in garish flair. What an incredible and incredulous affair.

Dozens of heads looked up and around as feedback flooded through the speakers followed by the ever-calm announcer's voice. _"Service will return in a few minutes. Service will return in a few minutes. Please prepare to board."_

There was Kaito's cue. "Lovely meeting you all!" He took a deep bow once more. Delighted to see a few people - in particular adoring mothers who would spend enormous wads of cash to make their children happy - remaining, he pulled out a stack of business cards. "Kuroba Kaito, magician. I do birthdays, graduations, weddings, weekends, and I always have competitive rates." Competitive meant figuring out what the person would spend and then charging it, of course. He could do that when he'd already proven himself. He'd gotten lucky - the train station wouldn't charge him for or with anything when he'd innocently been trying to cheer people up.

After passing out eighteen cards, the satisfied magician strolled towards the boarding area. His eyes flicked back to a lone fan who seemed to be sneaking off.

Finally, Shinichi was done with this mystery. He wasn't going to stand for that taunting thief playing with his mind any longer. He was going to wash his hands of it. Shinichi was looking forward to a nice hot bath and a long night of sleep and forgetting. But it was never that easy. He stopped when a hand appeared in front of him, which happened to be connected to the magician from before. What was he... "What is it, onii-san?"

Kaito pointed downward. "Your shoe's untied."

Shinichi's eyes dropped to his shoe. So it was. Though whether it had been before... "Aha, thanks, nii-san." He warily bent down to tie his laces.

"Of course!" And the overly-friendly stranger knelt down next to him. "Did you like the show? You don't have to be timid, little boy." When Shinichi was finished tying his shoe, Kaito tucked the boy's hand in his own to give it a shake, and left a business card in it. "Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire. What's your name, little boy?"

Shinichi was too shocked to hold onto the card. His resolve to act like a child was cracking, his disbelief spilling out of his mouth before he could hold it back. "Are you a completely idiot!?"

Kaito first seemed surprised at the outburst, but he ended up laughing instead. "Just advertising my services. Tell your mommy or daddy about me if you want a show, okay?"

The red faded off of Shinichi's face until he was left with mere annoyance. That stupid magician gave him a short wave and got up to leave. He wasn't getting away that easily - not after accosting him out of nowhere twice in one day.

* * *

Incoming: Kaito won't leave Shinichi alone... again.


	5. A Friendly Outing

Kikonote: Completely accidental pun in the chapter name. That must be a good omen!

* * *

Kaito crossed his arms with a childish huff. "I already told you, I'm not Kaitou KID." As fast as it had reared his head, the annoyance melted from the magician's frame, his arms falling to his side. "I'm flattered you would compare me to KID-sama, though, gaki."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I already told you I'm not gonna turn you in - I don't have any proof anyway."

Kaito stifled a sigh. This was a losing battle, just like trying to get Hakuba off his back. The difference was that he _wanted_ Tantei-kun to know. They shared the sticky situation of having secret identities and potentially, some common enemies. Moreover, Kaito knew he could take the detective's word; he had seen the detective be serious and making false negotiations wasn't something he would probably do. That little girl, though...

As if reading his mind, Shinichi added, "Haibara won't either; I explained that you're more useful to us free than imprisoned."

Kaito made a mental note that the creepy girl's name was Haibara and that she was entirely as creepy as she looked.

"Anyway..." Shinichi looked up to his visitor with a questioning gaze. "What are you doing here?"

Kaito ran a hand through his hair. It had been a week since the attempted kidnapping. He'd gotten away, but not without the detective deducing quite a lot about him, so he thought he should try to smooth it over. He also wanted to feel the detective out - maybe that the most. The police weren't going to take a nine year old who thought he knew who Kaitou KID was seriously, but he knew Tantei-kun would find a way if he was determined. The scariest thing was that Tantei-kun was likely a better detective than Hakuba and probably could be able to find some way to lock him up if he really wanted to.

Kaito was glad he had come, since he was now confident the little detective wasn't going to screw up his night job. The smoothing over was going terribly though, and so now Kaito was stuck with the kid until he could figure out a plan to get away without being suspicious. What better a plan than to be himself? Kaito gasped, a hand laid weakly over his heart. "What do you mean? You forgot our date?"

_You've got to be kidding me_, said Shinichi's deadpan expression. "But Kaito-niichan, I'm nine..." he whined in his childish voice, pretending to be confused.

Kaito forced an indignant frown over his amusement. "I thought that sounded cooler than taking the train here to spend time with a nine-year old." It was what he had told everyone at work too. He couldn't say he would have minded if it weren't a total lie, however. Of _course_ he thought Kudo Shinichi was attractive - he was a well-known narcissist after all. The brain didn't hurt either. Though the being nine did, a bit. "So, otouto, where do you want to go?"

Shinichi restrained a yelp as his hand was pulled up, and looked up at Kaito's huge grin. _This guy..._ Shinichi couldn't believe he'd gotten himself into this situation. Kuroba was worse than Hattori! In his normal voice, he suggested, "There's a new cafe that opened a few weeks ago. How about that? They're supposed to have great coffee." He'd been wanting to try it for a while, but he usually had to go to Agasa's to have coffee. Getting coffee in public as a nine year old was a bit tough if he didn't want to draw attention to himself and cause his legal guardians to be judged. He wanted to get _something_ out of this arrangement. Plus, cafes carried bitter _and_ sweet things, so even if that guy had a sugar dependency like his crazy smile kind of suggested he did...

"Yay! Chocolate cake!" he yelled, beaming and squeezing Shinichi's hand.

Shinichi was not pleased. _Thought so..._ He tried to pull his hand out of the thief's grip, but it was no use. His exasperation did not lighten when he noticed that despite not giving instructions, they were going the right way. _What's with this guy..._

In the cafe, the two made their orders (though the waitress looked at him funny when he excitedly gave her specifics on his coffee order). Kaito had the money on the desk before Shinichi could even reach his pocket. _Great_, he thought, _now I owe him._ He couldn't help but smile some once the waitress brought their order over, however.

Kaito shoved a big bite of fluffy chocolate cake in his mouth, looking over his date with satisfaction. Such an easy date. He gulped down his cake to ask, "Is it good?"

Shinichi nodded enthusiastically. "Un! The newspaper critic was praising it for its kokuto sugar blend. It's a little sweet, but definitely rich."

The boy who knew nothing of coffee hummed. He nabbed the mug to take a sip, swishing the coffee around in his mouth. He was no impressed. It was so bitter! He puffed his cheeks out and forced the hot liquid to go down before he gave into instinct and spat it out.

Shinichi stared at the mug as it was put back down. "Of course it won't taste sweet with cake." He swiveled the mug around a bit, trying to decide if he should drink more. It _was_ awful good, and it wasn't like sharing a drink was a big deal or anything. Kaito was a strange kind of person, so he probably just did it without thinking about it. Shinichi swallowed his pride and took another sip of the delicious concoction.

"Oh! Indirect kiss!"

Shinichi covered his mouth to keep from spitting it out. It had been a set-up!

Kaito just smiled and held out a piece of cake on his fork. "I can't believe we're already at this point in our relationship. First names, indirect kisses. Here!"

Before the disbelieving boy could run away, the fork pulled his mouth open and ultra-sweet chocolate was placed inside. Cringing, Shinichi chugged it down with some of his coffee. It wasn't actually that bad, but... "You're insane! You came here just to bother me!?"

Kaito wanted to laugh at the chocolate mustache hanging above the kid's lip, but he stopped; Tantei-kun looked genuinely pissed. "Sorry, I just got carried away. I was trying to be friendly, honest."

Shinichi downed the rest of his coffee and leaned back with arms crossed. "Fine, but why are you _really_ here? If it was just to make sure I wouldn't cause trouble, I already gave you my word I wouldn't. Though if that is the case, you're just making it worse for yourself by doing all this - in fact, why were you here in the first place?"

Kaito had been hoping not to explain why he had been following him. Tantei-kun was right: he _had_ put himself in a bad situation, so he saw no harm in telling the truth now. Treading carefully, he said, "It's just, after our last meeting, I was kind of worried."

Shinichi frowned. "Why? I wasn't the one getting shot at," he mumbled quietly so that no one would hear.

"Actually, you were too, but that's not what I mean. You seemed off your game. Can't have that now, can we?" The smirk was back as he leaned in.

Shinichi must have been screwed if even KID had noticed. He didn't particularly want to discuss that with KID, though. "What did you expect, coming back here?" KID must have believed him the first time he said he wouldn't turn him in since he'd just made it easy to do that.

Kaito was beaming with victory. He totally had his in and he was going to make Tantei-kun like him whether he wanted to or not. "I don't know," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, "I just thought it might be nice to spend some time with my favorite detective. I can't promise never to treat you like a kid, but I apologize ahead of time for being a jerk. And I'll treat you, so friendly truce?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Shinichi didn't understand how the thief could be smiling so bright at the person who'd been chasing his tail for years. He didn't understand how a criminal could admit to caring about his potential captors and show himself for that potential captor's sake. He didn't get it, but somehow, it didn't seem out of place in the circus that had become his life. It was _nice_ to be acknowledged. KID had always given him that much. "I... guess..." Still looking unsure, his hand met Kaito's and they shook. He stared into the brilliant smile. It was strange to so openly see the person he had begrudgingly partnered with before, who he'd nearly killed himself chasing, who had that maddening smirk and obnoxious, but harmless, traps ready at all times.

Kaito wiped the chocolate off Tantei-kun's mouth. "Should I get another coffee then? It wasn't too bad."

Shinichi blinked in confusion, a small blush rising to his face as he realized he'd had that entire conversation like that - or KID was trying to psych him out. Grateful for the peace offering regardless, Shinichi nodded and stayed at the table while Kaito got up to order. His eyes followed the strange thief for a moment, contemplating his new friendship. He was annoying, sure, but there was something welcoming about the way he talked. When Shinichi looked back to the table, he found laying before him a bright pink rose. He took it by its thornless stem and twirled it in his hand. So KID was as eccentric in everyday life as he was in his heists. He couldn't say he was surprised.

* * *

Incoming: Aaaaaangst.


	6. Interlude

_Did yesterday really happen? _was the main question plaguing Shinichi's mind when he woke the next morning. It would have been easy to write off as a dream if he didn't have such a clear distinction between dream and reality. It had been real.

It wasn't such a shock that KID had known where to find him; KID's notes proved he was smart, and Shinichi didn't exactly hide his love of mystery novels, so KID had easily found him at a book signing. Of course, despite playing buddy-buddy, Shinichi had no way to contact him. He didn't have the business card KID had been using, which was probably full of lies anyway. The name Kuroba Kaito was most definitely a fake; KID wasn't _that _stupid, probably. It would be easy to verify, but there was no point. They weren't friends. KID said he had been... worried. If the thief got that worked up over it - and there wouldn't have been a point in putting on an act; he had. Was trying to outsmart each other that great an ice breaker? Was he really that attached to someone on the other side? He was crazy. Definitely crazy to trust him that much. He didn't seem _bad_ crazy, Shinichi supposed. He'd had fun, in a way. A stuck in a haze of disbelief sort of way.

How far gone was he, really? The memories of that night were vague, distant, yet he knew that it had happened. He knew because he'd wonder what would have happened if he hadn't reached out. Would KID have caught him regardless? He wondered if it would have been so bad if he had just fallen - even while his logical side told him to stop his train of thought. He could imagine precisely what his tiny, mangled body would look like in gross detail. He knew how people would cry and yell and scream of the unjustness purely because he was a child. But people would probably have found a way to blame KID. They liked jumping to conclusions like that. ... _Would KID have blamed himself too?_ Also, if there was the tiniest possibility that he would have lived, he would have been severely injured. So he'd be useless and a bigger burden on the Mouris. No matter which way he thought about it, in the end, he was glad to have been saved - for all of the possible negative outcomes if not for his own sake.

Shinichi's thoughts were interrupted by muffled coughs. "Oi, brat! Everything's burning!"

Burnt meats and smoke came into focus. He didn't move, merely stared as the smoke burned his eyes, the hot tears blurring his focus. How long had he been spaced out? A hand shoved him backward violently. Nearly stumbling, Shinichi watched with wide eyes as Kogoro threw the pans into the sink and flipped on the water.

Kogoro turned his head with an accusatory glare. "Brat, what's wrong with you!?"

Shinichi's mouth made no sound. He was still trying to process how scenario A, throwing everything in the pans, had gone to scenario B, smoke. He subconsciously averted his eyes, not even wiping away the tears that had spilled over from the smoke.

"Jeez," Kogoro scoffed, running a hand down his face. "Get out of here. Go to school." Kogoro turned back to the sink to clean up the mess the boy had made.

"H-Hai..." Shinichi turned on his heel numbly and dragged himself out of the kitchen. He wiped his eyes roughly, threw his bag over his shoulder, and heaved himself out the door. His stomach rolled and roared in vain.

His feet moved him forward out of habit. He didn't even see where he was going - he couldn't seem to pick his eyes up off the ground.

_What's wrong with you?_

Shinichi sighed through his nostrils. _You have no idea. _

A nineteen year old and certified genius wasn't supposed to spend his mornings walking to his elementary school school while the rest of the world moved without him. He could chant his passionate justifications ad nauseum and it didn't change that fact. It couldn't stop the gaping hole ripping open in his chest.

He'd abhorred being a child the first time around. Not the same way he did now; the people truly in his life were fine, it was just the others. Outside of his parents, outside of his peers, there were the adults who patronized him with their assumptions, their fake grins, their looking down on him, calling him _cute _as though that was his entire identity. As though he had no worth of his own.

He'd been in a rush to grow up. He didn't complain. He didn't cry. He made himself better, stronger, someone who couldn't be underestimated. He'd made a reputation for himself. He'd earned it.

So one would think that he would _hate_ returning to that state where everyone looked down on him, where he had to _encourage _it. He was endlessly bitter about it, but "hate" wasn't the right word. He couldn't let himself "hate" or he might snap back, might say something he would regret. Instead, he got to sink it all in. He had to make it a part of him - part of his act, because he couldn't be too smart, too cocky, too him. He couldn't be too angry, too bitter, too unlike a child. The "hate" was internalized, became part of the heart of him that stored every comment he didn't make, every screaming-raw outburst he didn't have, redirected every bitter thought back at himself. It didn't bounce off; it gathered, swarmed, and pulsed viciously within him.

It was his old friend, his old, rotten scab. The tip of the needle that bit at his innards violently, plowing deep, rupturing veins. It tore the skin, but never finished him off. It grew over, but never healed. It festered, left a rank aroma creeping through the air, invading his lungs. He pushed forward, trying desperately to ignore the sharp pain shooting through him. But it hurt.

It cut deep. He could feel the thick, throbbing pain ooze through his innocent facade against his pleas for it not to break through. His vision was marred once more by a wall of hot tears. He turned - he couldn't let anyone see him like that. He had to run, had to hide.

Sometimes, denial didn't cut it. Refusing to acknowledge pain didn't make it go away. Some days, his limbs were too crumbled to carry him and his mind too numb to think.

It was on those days that he snuck into the Kudo manor. _Snuck _was too strong a word, perhaps, for walking around the back and making sure no one was looking.

The door was old and had begun to creak without regular maintenance. His small feet carried him to the common room, his pink-stained blue eyes soaking in the sights he used to see daily. The dust didn't bother him terribly. It was familiar now. The dust had settled on his old life and his old home. Despite that, he had never given up. When the dust was so thick one couldn't breathe, he would polish his most treasured belongings. He would keep that part of him alive. Even as his nose burned, the smell of old books and the sight of that too-expensive lounge and that tacky chandelier revived in him what Kudo pride he had left. Even when that small voice in his mind told him it was futile, that he shouldn't be there, he let himself drift to the one place that was truly his.

He picked up a dusty old book and felt a feather-light smile touch the edges of his lips for the first time in his recent memory. He hadn't the mind to read it, merely flipped it open and traced a finger over the delicate page. A long-lost thrill ran through him at the mere thought of actually sitting in his old chair and reading one of his valuable first-editions.

He let himself go on like that, dreaming in vain like a true child until the pounding dust headache was too much. In spite of needing time away from the dust, he didn't feel quite ready to leave yet. He slipped over to his once-bedroom. The bed, made perfectly like it never had been, looked too inviting. The curtains were shut and he soon found himself climbing up to his bed for a small nap. His limbs instantly sunk down into the too-expensive mattress. Shinichi almost drooled. But upon his perfect, puffy pillow laid something that hadn't been there before: another pink rose with a note laid next to it. Shinichi picked it up with raised eyebrows.

_Kudo-kun, I enjoyed our date! We totally have a lot in common. We'll just have to find out what. So I'm coming next Wednesday whether you like it or not. See you then!_

_-Kuroba Kaito_

Shinichi laughed. Really laughed, deep and incredulous. What was that guy bugging him for? What did he want? There was nothing he could really expect out of him, right? Yet now he was trying to force a friendship on him? That idiot...

Shinichi pushed aside the rose and note, his eyes settling on the pink standing out like a sore thumb on his white bedding. _Kuroba... _As his eyes dropped closed, his heart stung. He couldn't think of the last time someone had been that thoughtful for him uncalled for, so it looked like he had no choice but to accept his new nuisance, at least for the time being. _Jeez..._ It was a little scary, felt like it could be so easily destroyed, but what did he really have to lose if he took the thief's hand? He chuckled mirthlessly. He had nothing to lose. He hated himself for being a little bit happy at that guy's silly little gesture.


	7. Chocolate of Doom

And then this chapter remained half-written for a while... Special shout out to my lovely reviewers, who kind of make me think I should keep going! Which I definitely plan to do!

**XXXXX**

It was the calm before the storm: the slow ticking by of the time leading up to lunch rush. Like any bored teenager, Kaito decided to screw around on his phone. He unlocked it and stared at the same screen that had sat there since he'd started work that morning. He still couldn't resolve his dilemma. Kaito sighed and pressed for home. He wanted to text Tantei-kun _sooo_ bad, but he didn't think he was supposed to have his number, and Tantei-kun hadn't fully accepted his company. Yet. Perhaps not at all, but Shinichi's state had forced his hand into an ill-thought-out plan it was too late to take back, so he was determined to press on with it until he couldn't doubt it. How hard could it be? They both had secrets to hide, so Kaito made the perfect confidant. Plus he was charming and charismatic, so eventually, _anyone _would have to relent. They'd shaken hands and everything.

He would just have to wait and go back to Beika. Text conversations weren't the same. He preferred to watch people's reactions in incessant detail, mentally noting their habits and preferences. It was so much more entertaining to see the real thing over letting his imagination run wild.

That was why the following Wednesday, he strolled into the Beika district feeling naked and vulnerable without a disguise. One couldn't expect to gain a detective's trust by hiding, now could they? He had no need for such vanities; Tantei-kun had already seen his face.

_Target spotted_, he told himself with a small grin. It looked like Tantei-kun had finished getting ready before everyone else and was waiting. _Perfect._ Kaito continued on with such a perfectly casual posture, even Tantei-kun wouldn't know he was questioning his decisions in life. He would work with what he was given, but it was going to be hard if Tantei-kun kept asking things like _Why are you here? _and _Are you an idiot?_ \- perfectly reasonable though they were. He could see shiny blues widen as they caught sight of him. The grin on his face only widened. "All ready to go?"

Shinichi considered saying no, causing a fuss, and getting the security to gather. It would serve the idiot right. How ironic it would be for the famous Kaitou Kid to be arrested for something that wouldn't even make the papers. But he was not that vindictive. Shinichi shrugged and started walking with his idiot in stride. "You shouldn't be so careless. My friends were coming any minute you know."

Kaito barely held back a Cheshire grin. Tantei-kun wasn't overly friendly with him, but seemed to accept his presence nonetheless. "Not a problem. We'll just say we're cousins or something. They'd buy it."

Shinichi gave him a glare.

Kaito reached down and mussed up Shinichi's hair. "There you go. Now we look a lot more alike."

Frowning, Shinichi smoothed down his locks, the usual cowlick still popping up when he was finished. "If that's your idea of a disguise, you've gone off the deep end."

Kaito just snickered; he'd already snapped a photo of Shinichi's much better makeover. "Who needs a disguise? You're always hanging around teenagers anyway."

Shinichi couldn't argue with that. He would only have a problem if Ran saw him - or worse, the Shounen Tantei-dan. KID would just _love _telling them whatever he could make up on the spot. "So? Where are we going?"

"I'm so glad you asked! I planned something very special," he said, winking at the boy who was glaring in annoyance and slight fear. "We're going to the place we first met as rivals, to commemorate us meeting as friends. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

"The clock tower?" Shinichi questioned. His eye lit up with recognition; ah, yes, he remembered. Sighing, Shinichi shoved his hands in his pockets and threw Kaito an accusatory stare. "You mean to look at the emerald that's moving to that museum up north next month?"

Having only one day off did create horrid scheduling conflicts. "An emerald? You don't say." Kaito made a mental note to wait until its next move to hit it. His main goal had been to get an updated high view of Beika, however. He could skip the emerald to prove a point. Sweetening his voice, he replied, "I'll keep her in mind. Thanks for the suggestion, Tantei-kun."

**XXXXX**

Kaito and Shinichi did not look out of place at the clock tower during the day. In fact, Shinichi felt _too _in place - it was filled with kids with their grandparents. Shinichi was beginning to wonder if Kuroba had only taken him there to tease him, but he doubted that since the only one embarrassing himself was Kaito.

"Conan-kun, you sure you don't want another scoop?" Kaito asked (or almost insisted, really), his voice a few pitches too high with excitement.

_Which one of us is nine, now? _"Ha... No thanks..." Shinichi took small bites of his single-scoop cone, marveling out how Kuroba's... well, _tower _managed to stay upright.

Kaito stuck his tongue out. "Aw come on, you can have a few of mine, can't you? Look, I won't miss them!" He waved a hand at the massive stack of ice cream. "Live a little, Tantei-kun."

"Uh... Kuroba," Shinichi raised an eyebrow, wondering... "You're not just asking because you got too many, are you?"

"What?" Kaito looked at his stack of swiftly melting ice cream that was about to start pouring down the cone because the licked-at bits were being weight down by the awaiting chocolate-on-top. "No way, I was just being nice! Fine then, I won't be so considerate to you next time," he huffed and began devouring the melting chocolate with all the more voracity (before it could spill down his hand).

Shinichi couldn't help but laugh a little. "Next time, huh? We'll see about that."

There was a winning glint in Kaito's eye. "We definitely will."

**XXXXX**

In the end, there was no contest for Kaito: the Conan phone was the obvious one to leave his mark on. He imagined it was Tantei-kun's main these days and that meant he was going to notice a lot faster. The question was what he would notice first. Kaito had prepared an extra special SD card and added all sorts of fun things to Conan's phone, one being an extra special new contact. Kaito dragged out his routine getting ready for bed that night because he needed to get his response first. And in the middle of his slow-motion tooth brushing, his phone made that bleep that made everything worthwhile.

_Don't come back._

Kaito could only grin from ear to ear.

_See you next week, Conan-kun~_


	8. Love Schemes

Shinichi had grown accustomed to the eventfulness Kaito brought with him. He'd even grown to look forward to seeing what his unbidden visitor would think up next. Though he'd loath to admit it, that thief's intrusive plans were affecting him. He'd begun to find that displeasure was no longer his default, he was having fewer nightmares, and that horrible urge to scream his true identity from the rooftops had dissipated. It felt _amazing_ to be understood and accepted. No guilt for the case he'd fallen into, no acting, no excuses. Even Hattori had the habit of making judgmental comments.

Aside from that, Shinichi had learned more than he'd ever expected to about his guilty pleasure mystery case. This honor meant junking the journal, which hadn't been intended for personal information which was best left in Shinichi's head. However, he hadn't given up: he was confident that _someday_, he would know the thief's purpose and the mystery would be solved. Until then, having a friend around wasn't bad either.

When Shinichi got home from school, there was a pink rose waiting for him in a small crystal vase. He picked up the attached note card.

_Conan-kun,_

_We're going to see the new Majikaru Shounen Atari-kun movie today! It starts at 6! _

_See you there,_

_-Ayumi_

The Ayumi doodle at the end was offputting, but the thief had done an impressive job imitating Ayumi's handwriting. It was a tad frightening if he thought about it - did he feel no shame creeping on children like that? Shinichi carried the vase to his bed and left the note on the table for Occhan to see.

Conan wondered if he should wait in the lobby, but knowing the thief, Kaito would find him exactly at six no matter where he was. He decided to hang out by the entrance. Upon his watch striking six, he was grabbed from behind. He sputtered as his feet left the ground.

"Good evening, Tantei-kun! Did you look at the movies?"

Shinichi craned his neck, his eyes scanning Kaito's body from top to bottom. "Ano ne... Why are you wearing a tuxedo?"

Kaito put Shinichi down and struck a pose. "What, don't you think it looks good on me? It's our night out; I had to look good."

Shinichi blinked. "That's not what I meant." Luckily, it was a dark room. They wouldn't get too much attention.

"I got you one too!" Kaito smiled and pulled a small tuxedo out from who-knew-where.

Shinichi raised his hands defensively. "No no no, there's no way I'm-"

With a snap of the fingers, Shinichi was dressed in the tuxedo. Vague-enough-to-write-off sensations of air and cloth passed before his mind could take hold of them. Kaito patted his shoulder. "Now we match!"

Shinichi stared down at his new outfit in horror. How did he do that? Did no one notice? Shinichi looked around, but nobody was paying attention to them.

"So!" Kaito continued, bending down to get right in his face. "Movies?"

"Eh..." Shinichi hadn't thought to look at the movies. Usually, when he was invited to see one, his opinion wasn't in question. "I didn't look..."

Kaito chuckled; he'd expected as much. "Don't worry. I found a good one. It's about spies. There's a vigilante spy trying to interfere with two government spies, and they're all after the same thing. And there's a love triangle!"

In the dark theater, Kaito nursed a lapful of candy. An extra-extra-bribe-style-large tub of popcorn sat between them to share. Needless to say, most of it would be Kaito's. Aside from the sounds of Kaito munching various things, the thief would lean over to make comments on the previews. Shinichi knew his manners and didn't comment back - most times.

The movie started with an explosion. _Entirely_ in CG, to Shinichi's displeasure, although Kaito seemed excited by it. After that, the two female spies were introduced, both pining for what Shinichi supposed was the hero of the movie. _I thought this was supposed to be about spies_, he voiced inwardly, bored.

Kaito wasn't bothered by the set-up. He was busy admiring all of the wardrobe pieces, picking apart the makeup jobs, and rattling off everything he'd ever seen those actors in.

Then, the protagonist was revealed. The actor was a hot upcoming star showing off his skills as a lead for the first time. Twin sets of eyes widened at the action star: his smile, his stature, the tinge and shape of his hair.

Kaito and Shinichi leaned into each other - they would have clunked heads if not for the height difference. "He looks like you," they said simultaneously.

Shinichi grimaced. "No way, I'm not that cocky."

Kaito chuckled into his ear. "You've never seen yourself on a case."

_"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"_

Kaito and Shinichi bowed their heads and returned their attention to the giant screen.

The protagonist, Black Spy, had left Red Spy years before for Blue Spy. It had all been a ruse, but Blue Spy was still in love with Black Spy, as was Red Spy. Black Spy couldn't choose and would just stay with either one until his job was done. He didn't want to get attached when he was against them both and knew they might be at the ends of each other's gun barrels someday.

To Shinichi's disgust, he was kind of getting into the drama. He wanted to root for Red Spy because of their history, but Blue Spy had a good heart despite her tough jobs. Black Spy was trying to end government corruption, but his feelings kept getting in the way.

_Don't do it!_ they both thought as Red Spy lead Black Spy to the hotel bedroom. It was all a set-up by her boss, and if Black Spy didn't figure it out soon...

Violin and piano music bled into the shadows of the scene.

_"I never stopped thinking of you, Jackson..."_ the woman with the bright red lipstick whispered as she pressed her chest into his.

_"Me either,"_ Black Spy breathed, leaning in to kiss her on the lips.

Soon, the spies were grabbing at each other's clothes and breathing heavily through their noses as their lips melted together.

And suddenly, Kaito was thinking about kissing Shinichi. If the actor's hair had that trademark cowlick, if his eyes were blue like precious stolen sapphires... Then there was that skintight black outfit grasping at every shape. Shinichi would make a _sexy_ spy, he decided, ignoring the way his skin was starting to heat up. He was glad Tantei-kun couldn't read thoughts, much as it seemed like he could. Kaito didn't need Shinichi to find his own version of a mop to slap him with.

And suddenly, Shinichi was thinking about kissing Kaito - from that angle, more like _being _kissed by Kaito. If that actor's hair were just a little messier, and his attitude a little more taunting... Watching the profile of Black Spy so thoroughly involved in his kiss was beginning to make Shinichi turn red. He was thankful for the shadows in the theater at that moment. He couldn't understand why his mind would go there, but his eyes were stuck open in fascination.

The exposition-riddled conversation was lost amidst images of black fabric pulled over muscle, stolen nips from red lips, and a constant struggle for dominance.

Two teens reached towards the popcorn, and hit each other's hands instead. The shorter flinched back, but the taller merely reached over and took the hand. Something in the ten minutes of experiencing borderline porn together (it was a straight Hollywood-style movie) made him bolder. Even if the detective didn't return his feelings, it was clear that Shinichi did like spending time with him. Shinichi wouldn't take the time out of his day and Kaito wouldn't keep training over to Beika if that weren't the case (though the latter bit could be questioned). Besides, how would he know if Tantei-kun swung that way if he didn't try a little?

Shinichi gaped up at the thief, whose face betrayed no expression. The light bounced off the shadows on his face, and their arms, and Shinichi snapped his head elsewhere before Kaito noticed him staring. He could wrench his hand away if he really wanted to, but the hand radiated such warmth in the air-conditioned theater, and a certain calm came over him even has his pulse started to race. It was no big deal, right? Kaito was just trying to be nice. Maybe the thief had noticed his uncomfortable expression.

When the movie came to a close, both teens were disappointed to find that it had been left open for a sequel. It was pointing to Black Spy ending up with Blue Spy. Black Spy was just conflicted because Red Spy was his first love. Black Spy looked out on the skyline, releasing a sigh for the ladies who had run off from him.

When the credit roll began, Kaito quickly broke the hold of the hand still in his before the lights could come on, forcing himself to reel in his nerves - he hadn't gotten yelled at or anything, after all. He pulled his seat up and began to gather his snacks, his short comrade hopping off the seat to join him.

They took a lazy stroll on the long road home, the cool air washing over them. Surprisingly, there was still quite a bit of popcorn left (Kaito had gotten more distracted than expected), so they chewed on it while they walked. But Kaito seemed to be elsewhere, focused on nothing in particular outside of his mind. Shinichi wondered what about silently. He was surprised to even be able to perceive that. Was Kaito's guard lowered or was he starting to understand the thief?

A vaguely melancholic expression settled on Kaito's face. "Ne, Tantei-kun."

"Hm?" Shinichi mumbled around a mouthful of popcorn.

"Do you think there's only one true love out there for a person? Or can people truly move on after their first love is gone?"

Shinichi was taken aback by the softness in Kaito's voice. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked down at his feet. He hadn't considered finding another if Ran moved on - he was still only a kid, unfortunately. He had considered though, after his first year or so of being Conan, that Ran might _not_ happily jump into his arms when he came back, that she might not wait forever, that he might not come back at all. He'd been in a downward spiral for a while after that, but since then he'd tried to focus on something other than his love life for the sake of his own sanity.

Kaito released a long sigh. "When I was younger, I always thought I'd end up with my best friend. She was cute, smart, funny, and she liked me back - I know she did. But I couldn't confess while this mess was going on, so I kept waiting." He smiled a crooked little smile tinged with a sense of bitterness. "If I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have given her up. I'd have hung on until the end, but when that choice was taken away from me... I realized I was terrible for her." Kaito looked down at the bright blue eyes intent on him. "We fought constantly, we couldn't truly trust each other... When I looked her in the eye, I couldn't lie, and I couldn't tell the truth. So when... _that guy_ who had stability, a future, and no secrets swung in, I had to step back and accept that maybe first love wasn't all there was in the world."

Each sentence Kaito spoke, Shinichi's eyes opened a tiny bid wider. "Kuroba..." He could feel a small, throbbing pain blossom in his chest - the part he strained so hard not to feel. He didn't know what to say. He respected the thief for being so gracious about his own heartbreak. He was simultaneously pained and pleased that the man he hadn't asked to accompany him had something that personal in common with him.

"Well, it doesn't matter now."

Shinichi didn't object when the other's hand wrapped around his own. He merely turned silent and pink, appreciating the comforting warmth being exchanged in secret as the two walked home.

As usual (at least usual for the couple of weeks this had been happening), Kaito and Shinichi stopped at a street corner facing away from the agency. Shinichi would walk a block and a half on his own (Kaito watched from the shadows) just in case someone happened to spot the stranger hanging out with little Conan.

"Tantei-kun." Kaito bent down with a thin lipped smile. "The sequel comes out next year. We should watch it together."

Despite the movie being of mediocre quality, Shinichi could not deny having enjoyed it just the tiniest bit and nodded his head, a small smile upon his own face.

Kaito's smile widened by the most imperceptible amount. Keeping his lips tight was the only way to keep his glee from escaping. His ego was lavished with his ability to bring a smile to his poor tortured Tantei-kun's face. The boy spent so much time checked out and grim-faced, it was a wonder nobody caught on to something being wrong with him, at the very least. "I'll see you next week, then. Take care."

Before Shinichi knew it, he was holding onto a red rose much too perfect to have been sitting in someone's sleeve for half a day. Botany was not a hobby of his, but even he had seen enough red roses given to know what they meant. It was the change that made him wonder if it should mean something. He had taken the pink rose as a sign of friendship. Was this perhaps a sign of deeper friendship? "Kuroba," he spoke, making Kaito turn around as he was leaving (to go hide), "Why did you give me this?"

Without fully turning around, Kaito flashed a grin that made his intentions anything but ambiguous and threw him a knapsack with his clothes. "To let you know what your options are."

Taken off guard, Shinichi narrowly caught the clothes he'd forgotten about. The consequent footsteps left no room for a reply. Shinichi didn't have one. His eyes were rooted to the spot Kaito had been standing in as if he would receive an answer to the questions never voiced. He wanted to know if Kaito was playing him for a fool. He wanted to know what Kaito expected from him. He wanted to know why he entertained it not being a joke, and why his heart was racing.

"Is this... really okay?" he wondered out loud, unsure of it was on his behalf or Kaito's.

Shinichi threw the knapsack over his shoulder and silently made his way back to the agency, a red rose hanging from his right hand.


	9. Gray Area

They hadn't talked about the almost-confession. There was a sort of silent understanding that Shinichi was going to consider it on his own time in his own terms and his alone. Meanwhile, Kaito had every opportunity to back out, which he didn't seem to be inclined to do anytime soon. Despite it all, Shinichi was happy to continue skipping elementary part two in favor of an outing with Kaito-niichan (who he thought he might have to introduce properly soon lest they found themselves in a tricky situation, which knowing him they would).

Shinichi started when Kaito's fingers brushed against his, silently asking for permission. He sighed, but didn't move his hand either way, allowing Kaito to entwine their fingers. He didn't have to look to feel Kaito beaming down on him. They didn't have to be more than friends to share an undeniable connection. To the rest of the world, they looked simply like a pair of happy siblings. Only the red rose tucked into Conan's jacket pocket betrayed the image of brotherly love.

In the confusion, Shinichi noticed something startling about himself: he liked the attention. It was something from pre-Conan days he hadn't thought about until someone who wasn't a child (Ayumi just didn't count) showed him that kind of attention. He didn't want to lead Kaito on (he kind of liked the guy after all), it was just a refreshing thought that somewhere under all that baby fat, the old Shinichi Kudo was still waiting to come back to the real world - someone who could spare a thought about inane things like flowers or hand-holding and not worry that everything would disappear in the next second. The fact that he was still in his wrong form made it all the more difficult to accept the impossible truth that Kaitou KID was totally into him, though. Without making things awkward, Shinichi had no way of knowing what Kaito thought about it since his attitude was always so casual.

"Kuroba?"

Shinichi's musings were halted when the hand around his tightened.

Kaito stopped, plastering a fake smile over his irritation. "Ooh, Hakuba? Yo! What are you doing here?"

Hakuba Saguru's eyes flipped between the lookalikes with a suspicious curiosity. "Good afternoon, Kuroba. I am visiting Aoko. I was called to a case in Beika. What are you doing with Edogawa-kun?" he said at such a consistent pace that there was no room to interrupt before he was finished.

Shinichi pretended not to notice the suspicion. He looked up at the older detective with a wide, innocent smile on his face. "Kaito-niichan is gonna teach me magic tricks!" he said proudly.

Hakuba didn't look convinced. He hummed in contemplation, flicking his gaze back to Kaito. "And how did you two meet?"

Kaito chuckled and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "So this little kid was out on a case with his dad, and he noticed my KID-sama pin and we ended up bickering about that for a bit... and then, somehow we became friends. I guess it's kind of weird." He looked away as if to wonder why he always ended up with the KID haters, which he actually was wondering. Though he'd asked for it this time around.

Hakuba was surprised and yet not. The Edogawa boy had an uncanny ability to get older people on his side. He remembered the Osaka detective being quite protective of him. The boy did have a brilliant mind, so it was no wonder his owns peers couldn't match wits with him, though the company he kept appeared questionable in any case. "I was just about to have lunch. Would you two like to join me, Edogawa-kun? KID?"

Kaito heaved a dramatic sigh. "You still haven't given that up?"

Shinichi blinked in confused concern. "But Hakuba-niichan, this is Kaito-niichan."

Kaito had to keep a grin in check as Hakuba stifled his own irritation and ushered them along.

An outing with Hakuba wasn't exactly Kaito's idea of fun. In the fifteen minutes it had taken for them to find a quiet family restaurant, Hakuba had accused Kaito of being KID exactly eighteen times, had told them that it was _only_ 1:23:46 without looking at a watch, had spent three entire minutes talking about his relationship with Aoko out of nowhere, and had shown absolutely no semblance of a facial expression. Kaito shot Shinichi a pointed look. _See what I have to deal with?_

"Kaito, tell me how you have been," Hakuba said after finishing a speech about how Conan should always follow the law and should leave things to the police whenever possible.

Kaito had been checked out until he heard his name, resting his head on his hand in silence. "What. You haven't heard everything from Aoko already?" He wasn't bitter because he was still hung up on her, it was that they both had a way of inadvertently rubbing their relationship in his face. For a while, it had been torture. They more or less made up, though, after he felt bad for telling them off and they felt bad for being rude and the whole thing had gotten pathetic and there was no use in holding a grudge anymore.

Hakuba returned an equally sour face. "Considering you barely contact her, no."

Kaito turned his head, and Shinichi caught a deer-in-the-headlights sort of look before the more familiar poker face smoothed it out.

Shinichi didn't make a sound. He hadn't expected such harsh treatment from one of Kaito's friends, whether or not they were known to be the _best_ of friends. Shinichi was beginning to understand why Kaito had been able to approach him so freely: he, too, had been alone in his small body long enough for the isolation to get to him. He couldn't imagine the bright, lively soul in Kaito cut off from society that way. Shinichi couldn't stop a frown from forming as he wondered what Kaito did the rest of the week. His hero complex side was fighting desperately to save his companion from discomfort while his logical side was just trying to understand what was going on.

Kaito had expected a ribbing, not a protective boyfriend attack. Had it really been that long? Kaito racked his mind, but struggled to think of the last time he had spoken to her for more than two minutes. "She's busy, I'm busy. It's not a big deal." He waved it off, _so_ regretting accepting Hakuba's invitation. "Right now, I'm working at a convenience store. Waiting on some magic gigs." Kaito waved a handkerchief and made a flyer for his store appear. "Come anytime. I get a 10% discount."

Hakuba took the flyer between two fingers. "Haa..." He set it next his place at the table, unimpressed. "Too busy planning heists to go to school, hm? Just make some time for Aoko, or next time I'll be out here for you." The warning in his eyes said he meant that.

Kaito's eye twitched, his mouth in a heavy-set frown. "Look here, Mr. Proper, I'm waiting for my career to pan out is all. When I make it big, I'll invite you and Aoko personally. I'll even fly to England to rub it in your face."

Hakuba reached up without thinking when he felt a cold sting. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood red. Ketchup. His sophomoric friend had drawn a ketchup mustache on him. Hakuba slapped a napkin to his face to rub it off, his stressed brows failing to let him look unaffected. "I look forward to the day," he said once he was straightened out. "It's been nice seeing you, Kuroba. Unfortunately, I must be on my way. I received a message from Aoko a while ago."

Shinichi gazed up with faux-innocence. "Eeeh? But the food hasn't come yet, Hakuba-niichan."

Hakuba flashed the boy a courteous smile. "If you two can't eat it, take it home for Mouri-san. It was nice seeing you too, Edogawa-kun. Be good." After shaking hands with the two, he turned away for a moment. "Kuroba." He flipped his head halfway to offer a small smirk. "For now, I'll admit that maybe you're not KID... But only because I've been knocked off the case. In the mean time, don't give that child any weird ideas."

Kaito watched the detective's retreating back. Once he was out of sight, he blew a raspberry. "I hate that guy. Sorry if he ruined our date, Tantei-kun." He leaned onto the table on crossed arms, a tinge of exhaustion tugging at his face.

Shinichi shook his head. "It's okay." _Are you okay?_ He nibbled on his bottom lip as he wondered what he might say. He didn't get to think very far before a steaming plate of curry rice was set before him.

"Here you are! Oh, is your handsome blond friend coming back?" the cheerful waitress chimed in, setting down each order.

Shinichi smiled back. "Hakuba-niichan had to do something else. Can we take his order home?"

"Of course!" The waitress picked up the plate and went on her way.

Kaito stopped glowering at the money Hakuba had left behind in favor or digging into his tonkatsu sandwich. "Wanshum?" he asked, sliding his place towards Tantei-kun.

Shinichi sighed in relief. "No, thanks," he muttered and ate his own meal in silence, grateful that Hakuba had left and the usual atmosphere had returned.


End file.
